Improvement in portable book-holders



dirti-it hm CHARLES O. MOORE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No.I 112,165,dated February 28, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE BOOK-HOLDERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Fatent and making part of thesame. Y

I, GnARLns C. Moons, of New York city,in the county of New York andState of New York, have ivented'a new and improved Book-Clamp, of whicht-he following is a specilication, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specilication.

Figure I is a proiile View, full size.

Figure 2 is a cnt section, showing the parts in connection as they work.

Figure 3 is a top view of wheel or winding apparatus.

Figure 4 is a view of the center shaft alone.

My invention consists in constructing, ot' wood or other suitablematerial, two plates, U and L, fig. 1, one to work above the other, ofconvenient length, width, and thickness; and in,l the center ofthe upperone I make a round hole, A, iig. 2, oi' convenient size, nearly but notquite through, in which hole I iirst place a spiral or eoii spring, B,fig. 2.

.lhcnabove, and resting on the spring, I place a piece ot' suitablemetal, C, ligs. Zand 4, made round and attened at one end in the form ofa wheel, thin, as shown in iig. 4, with one, two, or more (if necessary)teeth or projecting catches, b b, g. 4, on the upper side of the Wheelportion, while from the center ot' this piece C the metal is extended inthe form of a shaft, rst round, and then ending square, in all about twoand one-halt'inches, more or less.

Next I construct a metallic wheel, D, figs. I 2 3, of convenient sizeand design, from the center of which, on one side, I extend a smallerwheel, in the form of a tube or barrel, E, figs. I and 2, a hole throughthe center ofthe saule of sncient size to permit the shaft O to passthrough; and on the edge of the barrel portion ot' Wheel D I form teeth,ff, tig. 2, to the number ottwelve, more or less, ot' the saine size asthe catches b b, to match into each other, the catches on shaft C and onbarrel of wheel D .having sloping and abrupt surfaces in oppositedirections for the purpose of working into each other.- Then I place thewheel D over the shaft C, the barrel portion with the teeth into thehole A, having first attached a string or cord to the barrel portion ofwheel D by means 0f a hole in the barrel, and the cordpassedthronghandfastened with a knot inside, or any other preferable mode.

4The cord is 'carried lthrough holes-made in the plates of wood U and Lnear the ends, and along lengthwise on the under side in a groove orslot cut for the purpose in the plate L'.

Then I form a handle, F, figs. 1 and 2, ot' convenient size andshape, ofsuitable metallic material, which is constructed with a round piece ofthe metal, extending in the form of a tube from the under side of thecenter g, figs. l and 2, the proper length, so when the handle F isfastened', by means of screws, to the plate ofwoorl U, having beenplaced over the shaft C, the

tube portion g of the handle F will rest on the upper surface oiwheel D,coniining it and the shaltC in their positions.

At a, figs. l and 2, I forma square hole in the handTe F, extending itthrough the tube portion, which permits the square end of shaft O to bepassed through and held from turning round. The shaft O may be moved npand down through the square hole a in the handle F, and the round holethrough the wheel D.

The shaft O, when it is inclosed in and passes through wheel D, is maderound, that wheel D may be revolved upon it forward and backward andwhen wheel D is turned round to the right the cord is wound on thebarrel of the wheel, which is held from turning back by means ofthespring B forcing the catches t b ot shalt C into the teeth Jf f, iig. 2,of the barrel of wheel D, the shaft O being held, as before stated, fromturning bythe square portion resting in the square hole a in the handleF; and as the cord is wound on the barrel by this process, the underplate L is drawn upward toward the other, confining anything that may bebetween them. g

When I wishto open the clamp I press on the end of shaft O, extendingslightly above the handle F for the purpose, 'compressing the spring Band throwing out of contact the teeth fj; iig. 2, and catches b b, fig.4, thereby permitting the wheel D to go back freely, and'which is easilydone by pulling downward the plate ot' wood L when pressing with thethumb on the end ot' shaft O, holding the handle as in the act ot'carryingu it.

By means of my invention a number of' books, packages, parcels, or ashawl may be easllyI and conveniently clasped, held together, andcarried.

Claim. I claim- Ihe shaft O or its equivalent, with one or more catchesat b, the tube g, attached or detached, and

square hole a in handle, the handle F, the wheel D, and toothed tube Eor its equivalent, the spiral spring .B or its equivalent, incombinationwith plates U and

